What does a public relations officer do?
Public relations officer responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real public relations officer resumes:
- Create PowerPoint presentations and manage a high volume of communication via phone and e-mail from and internal and external sources.
- Manage all copywriting elements for live broadcasts and promotional commercials.
- Share other organizations' collaborative Facebook events on CAO's Facebook.
- Create events and publicize that information through social media platforms such as Facebook.
- Implement a strategic communications plan that increase brand awareness across all platforms including product visibility, social media presence and SEO.
- Compile and distribute game notes and player biographies.
- Analyze and compile statistical data regarding media coverage of NYC tourism industry.
Public relations officer skills and personality traits
We calculated that 16% of Public Relations Officers are proficient in Website Content, Press Releases, and Facebook. They’re also known for soft skills such as Interpersonal skills, Organizational skills, and Problem-solving skills.
We break down the percentage of Public Relations Officers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Website Content, 16%
Improved website content and presence.
- Press Releases, 16%
Developed press releases, advertisements and social media campaigns, outlining upcoming cancer awareness campaigns.
- Facebook, 8%
Operate the official SJU PARE Facebook page to create online invitations and promote signature events to the St. John's community.
- Press Conferences, 7%
Assisted in organizing promotional events such as press conferences, open days, exhibitions, tours and visits.
- Twitter, 4%
Managed the association's Twitter page to promote events and fundraisers.
- Instagram, 4%
Developed new marketing strategies such as implementing a weekly Instagram post highlighting a sister and her accomplishment
Common skills that a public relations officer uses to do their job include "website content," "press releases," and "facebook." You can find details on the most important public relations officer responsibilities below.
Interpersonal skills. One of the key soft skills for a public relations officer to have is interpersonal skills. You can see how this relates to what public relations officers do because "public relations specialists deal with the public and the media regularly." Additionally, a public relations officer resume shows how public relations officers use interpersonal skills: "provided the highest level of customer service and client relations which are based on outstanding communication and excellent interpersonal skills. "
Organizational skills. Many public relations officer duties rely on organizational skills. "public relations specialists are often in charge of managing several events or communications at the same time, which requires excellent skills in coordinating arrangements.," so a public relations officer will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways public relations officer responsibilities rely on organizational skills: "elected based on devotion to class, organizational ability, and event planning skills. "
Problem-solving skills. public relations officers are also known for problem-solving skills, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to public relations officer responsibilities, because "public relations specialists sometimes must explain how a company or client is handling sensitive issues." A public relations officer resume example shows how problem-solving skills is used in the workplace: "posted to the ip solutions linkedin and twitter channels daily, using hootsuite. "
Speaking skills. public relations officer responsibilities often require "speaking skills." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "public relations specialists regularly speak on behalf of clients or their organization." This resume example shows what public relations officers do with speaking skills on a typical day: "planned and organized school activities; spoke with local businesses to get donations. "
Writing skills. Another common skill required for public relations officer responsibilities is "writing skills." This skill comes up in the duties of public relations officers all the time, as "public relations specialists must be able to write well-organized and clear press releases, speeches, and social media posts." An excerpt from a real public relations officer resume shows how this skill is central to what a public relations officer does: "club promotion, advertising, marketing organization of fundraising, writing proposals and organization of club events etc. "
The three companies that hire the most public relations officers are:
- Miriam Hospital1 public relations officers jobs
- Firstbank Corp1 public relations officers jobs
- Coasthills Credit Union1 public relations officers jobs
Choose from 10+ customizable public relations officer resume templates
Build a professional public relations officer resume in minutes. Our AI resume writing assistant will guide you through every step of the process, and you can choose from 10+ resume templates to create your public relations officer resume.
Compare different public relations officers
Public relations officer vs. Account coordinator
An account coordinator assists account executives by providing day-to-day administrative support such as preparing and filing sales contracts and reports. As coordinators, they must maintain a good relationship with their clients and vendors by addressing issues and with regular communication. Account coordinators must possess essential skills such as a strong business administration background, adept at both written and verbal communication, and excellent time management. They are also responsible for researching prospective clients and produce client feedbacks to their account management teams.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between public relations officers and account coordinator. For instance, public relations officer responsibilities require skills such as "website content," "press conferences," "public relations strategies," and "public affairs." Whereas a account coordinator is skilled in "customer service," "data entry," "account management," and "project management." This is part of what separates the two careers.
Account coordinators tend to make the most money working in the professional industry, where they earn an average salary of $46,894. In contrast, public relations officers make the biggest average salary, $37,220, in the telecommunication industry.The education levels that account coordinators earn slightly differ from public relations officers. In particular, account coordinators are 5.9% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a public relations officer. Additionally, they're 0.3% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Public relations officer vs. Social media internship
In a social media internship, the primary role is to take part in managing a brand's social media platforms for public relations. One of their primary duties is to craft informative and captivating content while under the supervision and guidelines of a manager or supervisor. Furthermore, there may also be instances where an intern must participate in devising strategies that would bring more public recognition to the brand, such as social media campaigns to boost sales and improve client base.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real public relations officer resumes. While public relations officer responsibilities can utilize skills like "website content," "facebook," "press conferences," and "public relations strategies," social media interns use skills like "facebook insights," "social media marketing," "linkedin," and "pinterest."
Social media interns may earn a lower salary than public relations officers, but social media interns earn the most pay in the education industry with an average salary of $33,136. On the other hand, public relations officers receive higher pay in the telecommunication industry, where they earn an average salary of $37,220.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Social media interns tend to reach lower levels of education than public relations officers. In fact, they're 6.5% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.3% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for public relations officers in the next 3-5 years?
Stefanie Leiter
Assistant Professor of Public Relations, Anderson University
Public relations officer vs. Public affairs internship
A public affairs intern is responsible for performing administrative duties to support the public affairs operations on media relations and developing strategies to maintain the department's integrity for social responsibility. Public affairs interns assist with press releases, community programs, and dissemination of information to the public. They also check the communication techniques, ensuring that the approach reaches the target audience, as well as responding to the public's inquiries and concerns and escalating complaints. A public affairs intern must have excellent communication and organizational skills, especially on data processing and publishing accurate content on different medium platforms.
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from public relations officer resumes include skills like "public relations strategies," "media management," "student organizations," and "executive board," whereas a public affairs internship is more likely to list skills in "public policy," "regulatory submissions," "fda," and "fact sheets. "
When it comes to education, public affairs interns tend to earn similar degree levels compared to public relations officers. In fact, they're 1.3% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 1.2% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Public relations officer vs. Communications specialist
A communications specialist takes charge of addressing the public by coming up with various strategic campaigns, newsletters, public correspondence, press releases, and advertisements. Their primary role focuses on promoting, shaping, and enhancing a brand's image through public relations. Furthermore, a communications specialist is responsible for handling any complaints or issues, devising and conducting damage control to resolve bad publicity should there be any. It is also essential for a communications specialist to adhere to the company's policies and regulations at all times.
Even though a few skill sets overlap between public relations officers and communications specialists, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a public relations officer might have more use for skills like "website content," "public relations strategies," "public affairs," and "community relations." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of communications specialists require skills like "customer service," "patients," "web content," and "project management. "
Communications specialists enjoy the best pay in the technology industry, with an average salary of $59,589. For comparison, public relations officers earn the highest salary in the telecommunication industry.In general, communications specialists hold similar degree levels compared to public relations officers. Communications specialists are 1.2% less likely to earn their Master's Degree and 0.1% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Types of public relations officer
Updated January 8, 2025
